Nightlife industry in Spain views fire safety regulations in the country as 'ambiguous'

Spain's nightlife industry has expressed its dismay at the tragic fire in Crans-Montana (Switzerland), in which at least 40 people died - mostly young - and another 119 were injured - many critically - during New Year's Eve celebrations at a nightclub in the upscale ski resort. However, after it was officially announced that the leading hypothesis on the cause of the fire was the use of sparklers - in this case, attached to bottles of champagne - by some of those present, the industry has criticised the "dispersion and ambiguity" of the fire prevention regulations currently in force in Spain.

In this regard, the president of trade association Spain Nightlife stated last Friday that "every tragedy of this kind should serve to reinforce the sector's commitment to safety". In his opinion, "regulated and professional nightlife can and should be a safe space, provided that the rules are strictly followed and prevention is prioritised".

Similarly, Spain Nightlife's secretary-general and also president of the international nightlife business association in Spain, Joaquim Boadas, pointed out that the international safety and quality certifications promoted by his associations and their recently-published 'international guide to fire prevention in public venues' plus "all the work we are developing in official conferences on the nightlife industry, show that our sector is fully committed to safety".

The industry sector recalls the fire in October 2023 at the Fonda Milagros nightclub in Murcia, which resulted in the deaths of 13 people. That event, according to Boadas, "was a severe blow to the sector and a turning point in the collective reflection on the need to stregthen fire prevention, inspection and strict compliance with current regulations in Spain".

In any case, as far as fire prevention regulations in Spain are concerned, they criticise the "clear dispersion and ambiguity on the matter". In fact, only Catalonia implicitly prohibits the use of sparklers at indoor events. "Although it doesn't explicitly state that sparklers are banned, it does prohibit these activities from 'using ignition sources or materials that generate a fire or sparks as they pose a fire risk'," explains Boadas.

At the national level, the Royal-Decree law on pyrotechnic articles and cartridges (RD 989/2015) governs the use of pyrotechnics in general, although it does not specifically address how to proceed when indoors. Meanwhile, the two aforementioned associations have created "the first fire prevention guide for public venues" in Spain.

During the two most recent conferences organised by both associations from the nightlife industry in 2023 and 2025, "fire safety was identified as one of the main structural challenges facing the sector".

These forums specifically addressed aspects such as the use of flammable materials, capacity management, accessibility and signage of emergency exits, staff training and the need to move towards more standardised technical and regulatory criteria.